The shipping lane between Israel and the Port of Savannah is the second busiest transatlantic one going, at least from the Israeli perspective.
Representatives and business leaders of the Jewish nation spent Sunday and Monday in Savannah for a visit that could lead to even more trade — oceangoing and otherwise.
The consul general of the Israeli embassy’s Atlanta office, Opher Aviran, led a delegation of his countrymen tied to the logistics fields in a tour of Savannah. Stops included the Georgia Ports Authority, which is frequented by two Israeli shipping lines, and Gulfstream, which builds two version of its business aircraft fleet in conjunction with Israel Aerospace Industries.
The delegation included the North American president of the ZIM shipping line, Lea Bogathch-Genossar. ZIM is the fifth largest container ship line working the Port of Savannah. Also among the group was the chief operating officer of the Israel Ports, Dov Frohlinger.
The delegation stopped in Savannah en route to the Georgia Logistics Summit, which opens today at Atlanta’s Georgia World Congress Center.
“The whole idea behind visits like this is to build and grow relationships,” Mayor Edna Jackson said. “They have a presence here already through the port and through Gulfstream, and more opportunities exist.”
Jackson has been cultivating a relationship with Israeli business groups for more than a year now. She first made the connection while attending a mayor’s conference in Israel in May 2012 and hosted a delegation from the Federation of Israeli Chamber of Commerce two months later.
Representatives with the Savannah Economic Development Authority and its World Trade Center Savannah arm are now working the mayor’s inroads. Brynn Grant, SEDA’s vice president of competitive positioning, noted how important it is for international organizations to see the political side and the business side of American communities working together.
“It gives you credibility,” Grant said. “Cultures are different elsewhere. Internationally, they want to see that there is a good working relationship between government and business.”
The Israelis’ familiarity with the Port of Savannah provides a solid foundation to build on. The Israel Ports COO, Frohlinger, made his first visit to Savannah in 2001 to learn about a software management system the GPA was using and that Israel Ports was considering for its operations.
He’s been back to Savannah twice since and noted the similarities between the local port and Israel’s ports — both handle between 2.5 million and 3 million container units per year, both have or are dealing with dredging issues and both serve the supersized 9,200-container-capacity freighters.
“We learn from each other and share experiences,” said Frohlinger, whose focus during this week’s visit was electric-powered cargo cranes being piloted at the Port of Savannah.
SUPPLY CHAIN SUMMIT COMING IN APRIL
Savannah will host the India Supply Chain Markets and Opportunities Conference on April 1 and 2 at the Hyatt Regency Savannah. The two-day executive business forum is designed for business decision-makers, strategic business planners, consultants and senior academics interested in the rapid expansion of India’s supply chain. The conference features 15 dignitaries and speakers, including the founder and managing partner of the USA India Business and Research Center, Ani Agnihotri.